Refrigerator with split type shelves

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator with split type shelves comprises: a refrigerator body having a storage space; doors disposed on a front surface of the refrigerator body, and configured to open and close the storage space; first shelves installed at an inner side of the storage space, and accommodating storage items thereon; and a shelf assembly disposed between the first shelves and the door, and installed so as to be movable with respect to the refrigerator body such that front surfaces of the first shelves are exposed to a front surface of the refrigerator body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/842,073, filed on Jul. 23, 2010, which claims priority to Korean Application No 10-2009-0097890, filed on Oct. 14, 2009, each of the prior applications is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator with split type shelves, and particularly, to a refrigerator with split type shelves capable of effectively utilizing an inner space of the refrigerator.

2. Background of the Invention

A refrigerator serves to store food items such as meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and beverages with a fresh state.

Generally, the refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body having storage spaces such as a freezing chamber, a refrigerating chamber, and a vegetable chamber; a refrigerating cycle device disposed inside the refrigerator body, and configured to maintain temperatures of the storage spaces as preset temperatures; and doors disposed at one side of the refrigerator body, and configured to open and close the storage spaces.

In order to effectively utilize a space inside the refrigerator, a plurality of shelves are mounted to a cooling space of the refrigerator so as to accommodate storage items thereon. Recently, being proposed are various techniques for effectively storing a larger amount of storage items in a limited volume defined by the refrigerator body. Some techniques for spatial utilization are to reduce spaces rather than a storage space, e.g., the refrigerating cycle device. Other techniques are to more efficiently store food items in a limited active volume.

Implementation of the aforementioned shelves corresponds to the latter case, and is efficient in that a space inside the refrigerator is divided into a plurality of spaces for enhanced spatial utilization. However, when the refrigerator is a large capacity type of refrigerator, a depth of the shelves in back and forth directions (i.e., a length extending from a front surface of the refrigerator to a rear surface) is increased. This may cause a difficulty in accommodating food items in the space of the refrigerator, or in taking the food items out of the space. These inconveniences may become severe in case of a refrigerator having a narrow width in right and left directions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of easily accommodating storage items at an inner space of the refrigerator, or easily taking the storage items out of the inner space.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described a refrigerator with split type shelves, comprising: a refrigerator body having a storage space; doors disposed on a front surface of the refrigerator body, and configured to open and close the storage space; first shelves installed at an inner side of the storage space, and accommodating storage items thereon; and a shelf assembly disposed between the first shelves and the door, and installed so as to be movable with respect to the refrigerator body so that front surfaces of the first shelves can be exposed to a front surface of the refrigerator body.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator with split type shelves, comprising: a refrigerator body having a storage space; doors disposed on a front surface of the refrigerator body, and configured to open and close the storage space; first shelves installed at an inner side of the storage space, and accommodating storage items thereon; and a shelf assembly disposed between the first shelves and the door, and installed so as to be slidable and rotatable with respect to the refrigerator body.

In the present invention, a space inside the refrigerator may be divided into a plurality of spaces horizontally partitioned from each other by a plurality of shelves, not by one shelf, and shelves adjacent to the door may be installed so as to be movable. This may enhance accessibility to the space inside the refrigerator. That is, in the present invention, a shelf may be divided into two or more shelves in back and forth directions of the refrigerator body, and shelves disposed at the door side may be movably installed to enhance accessibility to the shelves disposed inside the refrigerator. Once the shelf assembly is moved to a front surface of the refrigerator body, front surfaces of the first shelves disposed inside the refrigerator may be exposed to a front surface of the refrigerator body. This may allow a user to easily accommodate food items in the space inside the refrigerator, or to easily take the food items out of the space.

The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state that a door has been opened according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state that a shelf assembly has been opened according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembly structure of the shelf assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A to 5C are planar views showing the operation of the refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4, which shows a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a planar view showing the operation of the refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3, which shows a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 9A and 9B are planar views showing the operation of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description will now be given in detail of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator 100 is a general double-door type of refrigerator. The refrigerator 100 comprises a refrigerator body having a storage space therein; and a freezing chamber side door 104 and a refrigerating chamber side door 106 each hinge-coupled to a front surface of the refrigerator body 102, and configured to open and close the storage space while being rotated. Here, the refrigerator of the present invention is not limited to the double-door type of refrigerator, but may be applied to any type of refrigerator having doors hinge-coupled to a refrigerator body and configured to be opened and closed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state that a door has been opened according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a rear surface of the freezing chamber side door 104 has a flat structure having no protrusions, whereas a rear surface of the refrigerating chamber door 106 has a plurality of door baskets 106 a and 106 b disposed in a vertical direction. And, a plurality of shelves 120 are disposed in the refrigerating chamber so as to divide the refrigerating chamber into a plurality of spaces in a vertical direction. Furthermore, a plurality of drawer-type baskets 122 having different sizes are provided below the shelves 120.

Since the freezing chamber side door 104 is not provided with shelves, etc. differently from the conventional art, it needs smaller force to open or close the door. Furthermore, since the freezing chamber side door 104 does not have food items, etc. accommodated therein, the food items are prevented from falling down while the door 104 is opened and closed. The rear surface of the freezing chamber side door 104 has a flat structure having no protrusions. However, the present invention is not limited to this. More concretely, the rear surface of the freezing chamber side door 104 may be protruding toward an inner side of the refrigerator body.

A shelf assembly including a fixing frame and second shelves is installed on a front surface of the freezing chamber. The fixing frame 110 has a rectangular shape, and is provided with a plurality of second shelves 112 a, 112 b, 112 c and 112 d detachably mounted therein in a vertical direction. Each of the second shelves is provided with walls at the periphery thereof, thereby being implemented in the form of a basket. Furthermore, since intervals between the second shelves are set to be different from each other, items having different heights may be stored on the second shelves.

Especially, a pair of supporting rods 114 are installed on rear upper sides of the two second shelves 112 c and 112 d disposed at a lower side. This may prevent items stored on the second shelves from falling down while the second shelves are moved.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state that the shelf assembly has been opened towards a front surface of the refrigerator body. Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of first shelves 130, 140 and 150 are detachably mounted to an inner wall of the freezing chamber at an inner side of the shelf assembly. Supporting walls 132 and 152 are formed on front surfaces of the upper and lower first shelves 130 and 150, thereby preventing food items accommodated on the first shelves from being detached from the first shelves. And, the supporting walls and the first shelves are formed of transparent materials, thereby allowing a user to easily check food items accommodated on the first shelves.

A bottom surface of the first shelf and a bottom surface of the second shelf are arranged so as to have the same height. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the bottom surface of the first shelf and the bottom surface of the second shelf are arranged so as to have different heights from each other.

The shelf assembly is mounted to the refrigerator body so as to be slidable and rotatable. More concretely, upper and lower surfaces of the fixing frame 110 of the shelf assembly serve as a body-fixed portion, and right and left surfaces thereof serve as a shelf fixing portion for fixing the second shelves. The body-fixed portion is rotatably mounted to a pair of rails 160 fixedly installed to the refrigerator body 102.

One end of the fixing frame 110 of the shelf assembly is rotatably mounted to the rails 160. However, the present invention is not limited to this. More concretely, a central portion of the shelf assembly, or a part between the central portion and an end portion may be rotatably coupled to the rails 160.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembly structure of the shelf assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, hinge coupling holes 110 a are formed at upper and lower portions of the fixing frame 110. The hinge coupling holes 110 a are hinge-coupled to end portions of sliders 162 of the rails 160 by bolts 166. The slider 162 of one rail 160 is slidably coupled to inside of a guide 164, and the guide 164 is fixed to a bottom side of an upper surface of the refrigerator body. The other rail 160 is fixed to a supporting portion 102 a protruding from a lower side wall of the refrigerator body. Under these configurations, while the sliders perform a sliding motion in the guides, the shelf assembly performs a sliding motion in back and forth directions of the refrigerator body, and is rotated centering around the hinge coupling holes.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are planar views showing a movable state of the shelf assembly.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the first shelf 130 occupies about ⅔ of a horizontal sectional surface of the freezing chamber, whereas the second shelf 112 a occupies the rest ⅓. FIG. 5A shows a state that the shelf assembly is arranged between the door and the first shelf. Under this state, even if the door is opened, the second shelf disposed in front of the first shelf, and items accommodated in the second shelf serve as a cool air shielding wall. Accordingly, cool air loss occurring from an upper space of the first shelf may be prevented.

It is preferable to store frequently used items on the second shelves, whereas it is preferable to store items having a low usage frequency on the first shelves. In case of a general usage, the user may accommodate frequently used items in the second shelves, or take the frequently used items out of the second shelves by merely opening the door.

In order to accommodate items into the first shelves or take the items out of the first shelves, as shown in FIG. 5B, the shelf assembly is pulled towards a front surface of the door. As a result, the slider 162 is protruding from the guide 164, and the shelf assembly is protruding towards a front surface of the refrigerator body. Under this state, once the right side of the shelf assembly is pulled out, the shelf assembly is clockwise rotated as shown in FIG. 5C. At the same time, front surfaces of the first shelves expose the front surface of the refrigerator body. Under this state, the user is easily accessible to the first shelves, thereby easily accommodating items into the first shelves or taking the items out of the first shelves.

Furthermore, since the door has no baskets on its rear surface, the door may have a light weight. This may allow the door to be easily opened, and may prevent falling down of items inside the refrigerator due to impacts occurring when the door is opened, or damages of the refrigerator.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment will be given to the same parts as those of the first embodiment, and the same explanations will be omitted.

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is different from the first embodiment in that the shelf assembly is rotatably mounted to the refrigerator body. That is, the fixing frame 110 is hinge-coupled between a bottom portion of an upper surface of the refrigerator body and the supporting portion 102 a. Accordingly, the fixing frame 110 does not perform a sliding motion implemented in the first embodiment. As a result, the refrigerator of the second embodiment has a simpler configuration than that of the first embodiment. However, when the second shelves have a deep depth in back and forth directions of the refrigerator body, corners of the second shelves being rotated may interfered with inner walls of the refrigerator body.

In order to prevent the interference, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, portions near vertexes of second shelves 212 a, 212 b, 212 c and 212 d are formed in circular arc shapes. In this case, first shelves 230, 240 and 250 facing the second shelves are formed to have complementary shapes to the second shelves. More concretely, when the first shelves are formed in straight lines, spaces formed between the first shelves and the second shelves are not utilizable. Accordingly, the respective first shelves 230, 240 and 250, and one side ends of supporting walls 232 and 252 positioned at the ends of the first shelves are formed in circular arc shapes.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment, but is different from the second embodiment in that the shelf assembly is coupled to the refrigerator body. Accordingly, the same reference numerals as those of the second embodiment will be given to the same parts as those of the second embodiment, and the same explanations will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 8, the shelf assembly and the refrigerator body are coupled to each other by a link member 260. More concretely, the link member 260 has a bar shape extending in a length direction, and has both ends hinge-coupled to the refrigerator body and the fixing frame, respectively. That is, the fixing frame is double hinge-coupled to the refrigerator body. In the third embodiment, the shelf assembly is protruding towards the front surface of the refrigerator body by a length of the link member 260, thereby enhancing accessibility to the first shelved disposed in the refrigerator.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are planar views showing a rotation process of the shelf assembly according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9A, the fixing frame is counterclockwise rotated at the right end of the link member 260, whereas the fixing frame is clockwise rotated at the left end of the link member 260. This may cause the shelf assembly to be opened in a protruding state towards the front surface of the refrigerator body as shown in FIG. 5B.

Under this state, once the shelf assembly is more rotated in a clockwise direction, the protruding length of the shelf assembly is increased.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.

As the present features may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is :
 1. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator body having a storage space; one or more doors hinge-coupled to the refrigerator body, and configured to open and close the storage space; one or more first shelves installed inside the storage space; and one or more second shelves positioned between at least one of the one or more doors and one or more of the first shelves; wherein the one or more second shelves are mounted on a fixing frame; and wherein the fixing frame is rotatable with respect to the refrigerator body independently from the one or more doors, such that front surfaces of the second shelves are exposed to a front surface of the refrigerator body when at least one of the one or more doors is open and when the fixing frame is rotated outward from the refrigerator body, and such that the front surfaces of the second shelves and the front surfaces of the first shelves are aligned when at least one of the one or more doors is open and when the fixing frame is not rotated outward from the refrigerator body
 2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein one end of the fixing frame is rotatably installed with respect to the refrigerator body.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a central portion of the fixing frame is rotatably installed with respect to the refrigerator body.
 4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the fixing frame comprises: a shelf fixing portion to which the second shelves are fixed; and a body-fixed portion coupled to the refrigerator body.
 5. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein a plurality of rails slidably mounted to the refrigerator body are further included, and wherein the body-fixed portion of the fixing frame is hinge-coupled to the rails.
 6. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the body-fixed portion is rotatably coupled to the refrigerator body.
 7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more first shelves and the one or more second shelves are formed to have complementary shapes.
 8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more second shelves is formed in the in the shape of a basket.
 9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an inner side surface of the door does not protrude toward the storage space.
 10. The refrigerator of claim 4, further comprising a link member having both ends hinge-coupled to the fixing frame and the refrigerator body, respectively.
 11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the storage space is a freezing chamber, the refrigerator body has a refrigerating chamber, the one or more doors are freezing chamber doors configured to open and close the freezing chamber in a rotatable manner, and the fixing frame is installed on a front surface of the freezing chamber, further comprising: one or more refrigerating chamber doors configured to open and close the refrigerating chamber in a rotatable manner.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein a rear surface of at least one of the one or more doors freezing chamber doors has a flat structure having no protrusions and a rear surface of at least one of the one or more refrigerating chamber doors has a plurality of door baskets disposed in a vertical direction.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising: slidable rails mounted to the refrigerator body, wherein one end of the fixing frame is rotatably mounted to the slidable rails.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising: a first rail that includes: a first guide fixed to a bottom side of an uppermost wall of the refrigerator body; and a first slider slidably coupled to an inside of the first guide, an end of the first slider being hinge-coupled to an uppermost surface of the fixing frame at an end of the fixing frame; and a second rail that includes: a second guide fixed to a supporting portion protruding from a lower side wall of the refrigerator body; and a second slider slidably coupled to an inside of the second guide, an end of the second slider being hinge-coupled to a lowermost surface of the fixing frame at the end of the fixing frame. 